Wringer



M. M. KVISTNER I 1,822,299 Q Sept. 8, 1931 WRINGER 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Nov 25, 1927 M. M. KISTNER Sept. 8 1931.

' WRINGER Filed-Nov. 25, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A WQW TD RNEY E Patented 5. s, 1931 UNITED STATES; PATENT OFFICE;

ERRILL M2. KISTNER, or INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA "WRINGEB. 4

Application filed. November 25, 1927. Serial No. 235,406.

This invention relates to automatic wringers.

One of the objects of the invention is in the provision of an automatic wringer, the safety mechan'sm thereof cooperating withthe clutch mec anism for the wringer in a manshaft, and a manually operable clutch member capable of controlling the movement of the ,wringer drive shaft.

A still further obJect lies in the provision of automaticallyioperated safety'release andclutch mechanism for wringer-s, the result obtained being to insure release of the safety mechanism by the operator when the wash ing operation has been finished, thereby releasing the tension between the wringer rolls 'and preventing same from being distorted ,by continued pressure in a non rotatable position.

Other objects of the invention will .appear in the following specification, taken in con-' nection with the annexed drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partially in section, showing in detail my fully automatic release mechanism as applied to conventional wringer structure;

Fig. 2 is a plan View, parts being broken away to illustrate the safety mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a section on lines 33 of Fig. 2 lOOkll'lU in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 4 is a section along lines 44 of Fig. 1.

In 'a well known type of wringer'mechanism, the lower roller is mounted in a stationary frame member and the cooperating upper roller is carried by a second frame ,eration' will be attained.

which is pivotally mounted so as to swing laterallywith respect to the stationary. frame. Pivotal movement of-the upper frame and lts'associated roller is effective to release the tension normally existing between the rollers and therefore is a safety expedient resorted to in times of danger such, for example, as when the hand or clothes of the operator become entangled in the rollers. Release of all pressure between the rollers is also deslrablewhen thewringer is in disuse to thereby prevent flattening and distortion of the roller surfaces.

As far as the applicant is aware, the only means for controlling thedriving of the rollers in this type of wringer has consisted of i the main clutch handle mounted on the head of the wringer. In other words, while release of pressure betwen the rollers could be 1 effected by moving the upper rollerframe, the rollers would continue to rotate until the mainclu-tch handle was operated. Because of the distinctive and separate operations involved, it was seldom that the operator had the forethought'to do both, especially upon cessation of the wringer operation. Usually the main clutch was thrown out to stop rotation of the rollers but the latter were left under tension, and flattening and distortion resulted. 'v v The present invention proposes to provide mechanism for disengaging the clutch upon movement of the upper frame to pressure-releasing position. By this construction, the operator will learn to control the machine through the'safety mechanism generally, and will move the upper frame into. pressure-releasing position upon cessation of operation because, by so doing, the rotation of the rollers will also be stopped. Thus, the desirable result of releasing the pressure between the rollers following the wringing op- In the drawings, the presentinvention is illustrated in connection with conventional and known wringer structure, which includes a lower frame portion 10, an upper .frame portion 11, carrying in bearingsj'com tained'therein the upper wringer roll 12. A.

' horizontally disposed spring 13 applies pressure to the upper wringer roll and urges the latter into contact with the lower wringer roll 14, which in turn is held in suitable bearings in the lower frame 10. Means for applying variable tension to the horizontal tension spring 13 is contained in the manually movable control handle 15 The manner of attaching the frame 11 to the frame in the present instance includes spring clamp portions 16 and 17 secured to the upper frame,

- as at 18 and 19. The lower ends of the clamp portions 16 and 17 are not only spring tensioned, but bifurcated in a manner to overlap and engage two pairs of projecting lugs 20 and 21 disposed upon either end of the lower frame 10. The above mentioned clamps normally engage these lugs in a manner to hold the upper frame in a fixed position with respect to the lower frame. This spring tensioned lug connection also permits safety release mechanism to be disposed upon either side of the wringer and to permit pivoting of the wringer upon these lugs as well as release in either direction.

This safety release mechanism includes the horizontally disposed guard portions 22 and 23, which are pivoted at the dual points 24 and 25 on either side of the wringer. Laterally projecting pairs of lugs 26 and 27 upon the ends'of the guard members 22 and 23 are capable of engaging the outwardly projecting cam portions 28 and 29 fashioned on the lower ends of the spring tensioned bifurcated clamps 16 and 17. The result is that downward movement of the guard members 22 and 23 operates to move the cam portions 28 and 29 away from the projecting lugs 26 and 27 in a manner to release the head portion depending upon which side the-horizontal member is located. The result is that the upper portion of the wringer frame is released and pivoted in a manner to release the pressure between the wringer rolls.

Applicant has described only one type of safety mechanism for wringers, and as a matter of fact, his present fully automatic control for wringers might well be applied to any type of safety release mechanism, either now known or later to be developed, which is capable of releasing the pressure between the wringer rolls to prevent accident.

Turning now more particularly to applicants new developments in control for wringers,the drive shaft for the lower wringer roll projects outwardly from the wringer at 30. A similar horizontally disposed drive shaft is shown at 31, contained and supported in bearings 32 in the wringer head. The wringer head, as shown herein is conventional and includes the outer casing 33, a rearward bearing support 34 for the horizontally disposed'wringer shaft 31, a bevel gear 35 secured to the upper end of the vertical drive shaft 36, oppositely disposed bevel gears 37 and 38, the rearward portions of same designated 39 and 40 respectively, cooperating with the housing 33 in a manner to form not only bearing supports for themselves but also for the horizontal wringer shaft. A conventional clutch 41 is slidably and fixedly mounted upon the wringer shaft and is controlled by a clutch portion 42, which comprises the lower end of a manually controlled lever 43 extendin exteriorly of the wringer head. This wringer head construction is entirely conventional, and the operating lever 43 is capable either of maintaining the wringer shaft in a neutral position or permitting a forward or reverse movement of the wringer rolls. As a matter of fact, the wringer and the wringer head construction heretofore described is conventional.

'Applicant has now devised mechanism oted at 49 within a housing 50, which connects the wringer head-With the wringer itself, there also being shown the physical connecting means 51 between the wringer and this housing. The clutch control lever 48 may be controlled manually by means of the manually operable control lever 52 having the cam portion 53 engaging the upper and projecting end of the clutch control lever 48 in a manner to move same laterally to disconnect the clutch and therefore stop the movement of the wringer rolls. Similarly, movement of the manual control lever 52 to the full line position shown in the drawings will result in the coil spring forcing the male clutch portion 46 again into connection with the female portion 44, therefore permitting movement of the wringer rolls. The control lever 48, however, has a slidingpivotal engagement, as at 54, with the horizontally disposed lever 55, which is in turn pivotally engaged, as at 56 by a substantially vertically disposed lever 5 the same having a cam fashioned upper portion, said lever 57 being pivoted, as at 58, in the housing portion 50. The upper end of the lever 57 is cam fashioned, as previously described, and is adapted to be enfashioned (to permit the lever 57 to-move in- 1 wardly upon-being released by said cam portion .59, and thus'unclutch the wringer drive shafts whenever the head is tilted to either side, this tilting, of course, being controlled i said spring when the lever 57 is released by the cam 59. This coil spring 57a abuts on one side the lever '57 and upon the other side a washer 57b fixedly attached to the wringer driive shaft;- This washer also acts as an this-new type-of automatically operating ",clutch mechanism for wringers, it 18 appar abutment means for the previously described coil spri'ng47. In other words, whenever the safet release mechanism is operated, the clute controlling-the wringer drive shaft is moved to anunclutched position, therefore stopping thewringer drive. Although applicant-"has shown amanualeontrol lever-52 for I 'ent that this control member might readily be dispensed with. However, inasmuch as the control of the movement of the wringer rolls is so intimately connected with the safety i l mechanism for the wringeigit is unlikely that 'safet .er. drive shaft. 40.

the operator will utilize this safety mechathis control gni'echanism would ordinarily be used at all, and";that the operator would utilize themanual control lever 43. for changing the direction ofimovement. of the wringer f rolls, and woulduse all times the wringer y mechanism for unclutching the wring- To1 explain more clearly this insuring that nism, it might be stated that previously even if. the operator did release the safety mechanism, which possibly he did in manyinstances, nevertheless, this would not .stop the movement of the wringer rolls and would require further manual manipulation of a lever to stop same. Now, when the operator finds that by merely-releasing the safety mechanism he will not only relieve the pressure between the rolls and save the rolls, but will also stop the wringer drive shaft, it-is practically certain that this mechanism will be used rather than the manual control lever the present mechanism, to have merely the I control lever 43 capable of controlling the direction of movementof the rolls and of starting and stopping the same. However, applicant has shown a fully automatic control mechanism cooperating with the safety control mechanism'to insure the stopping of move the clutch mechanism to immediately start rotation. of the wringer rolls.' The movement of the frame to a vertical position will also create pressure between the wringer rolls, which may be adjusted, if required.

Now, when the wringing operation has been completed, the operator, realizing that it is highly desirable that pressure be relieved between the wringer rolls, and his attention being further called to this point, due to the fact that the Wringer rolls are still moving,he immediately releases the safety mechanism, which automatically throws out the clutch to the lower wringer roll. In view of this fully automatic arrangement, it is not only highly probable but practically certain that the operator will utilize this single means for controlling the wringer operation,

rather than resort to thedual manual opera tion ,of first stopping the wringer rolls and thereafter releasing the safety mechanism.

Obviously, if the operator can accomplish 3 the same result in one movement, he will certainly resort to this'one operation, and further, the fact that the safety mechanism is more readily within the grasp and more position, manually operated means for releasing the locking means, driving means for the rollers including a clutch member, and means controlled by the movement of the upper frame during its pivotal movement for disengaging the clutch.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

MERRILL M. KISTNER.

the wri'nger rolls whenever the safety release mechanism is operated.

As respects the operation of the present 

